Fairbury business marks 10 years

Tuesday

Oct 2, 2012 at 11:54 AMOct 2, 2012 at 11:57 AM

Antiques & Uniques of Fairbury Ltd. is celebrating its 10th anniversary in October. Owners Mike and Diane Pawlowski opened their business in 2002 after renovating the first floor of their 120 year-old commercial building which had also served as their residence since 1998. The Pawlowskis first became interested in antiques 30 years ago when they purchased an older house in Michigan and started going to auctions to furnish their home. When they moved to Fairbury, they decided to get involved in the antiques business and considered building an old Victorian-style house with the first floor designed for retail space. Unable to find an appropriate location for building, they contacted the owner of a vacant building downtown and purchased it. They immediately went to work gutting the building of all its heating, electrical and plumbing. They were able to design their own floor plan and basically built a new home on the second floor. While both were employed full-time, they worked on weekends for three years before completing their residence. After a couple of years, they began working on the first floor and Diane quit her job to devote her full attention to the business.The 3,000 sq. ft. store, located at 105 W. Locust St. in Fairbury’s historic downtown business district, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers a wide variety of merchandise to satisfy all types of collectors. Some of its bestsellers include older books, glassware, pottery, postcards, vintage kitchen items, and merchandise that appeals to its male customers who like old tools, sports and military items. There is also an area of the store called the Illinois Communities Corner with older items from Fairbury and other Illinois cities.Antiques & Uniques has become a destination for many antique-seekers who travel to Fairbury from all over Illinois and from out-of-state as well. Comments are often made about the affordable prices and how nicely the merchandise is displayed. Dozens of other antique dealers also shop at Antiques & Uniques because of its low prices. One thing that sets Antiques & Uniques apart from most other antique stores is its “no-haggle” policy. The Pawlowskis believe in buying well to sell well and items are priced to sell without artificially inflating them to expect an automatic request for a discount. This ensures that each person that walks in the door gets the best price.Throughout the year, visitors who sign the guest register are entered into a drawing for a $10 gift certificate. During the month of October, those gift certificates will be worth $25. Also during the month of October, there will be a different special offer each day which may consist of a specific discount or a free gift.

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